Lenai

Lenai
Homeworld	Lenas
First Discovered	866 PB
Average Lifespan	500-550 Years
Sentient	Yes
Status	Non-endangered

The Lenai are magically-gifted advanced race hailing from planet Lenas.

Appearance

The average height of Lenai is around three and half feet and their most common skin color is pink. They have their skulls on the top more elongated, making more space for the brain (and other organ) in the head. There are two small blunt horns on the forehead, and slightly behind it the protrusions from the head which forms a half-ring over the head. The sides of the head frame two long and spiky ears. Surprisingly, they have no eyes, and their mouth is slightly exposed, with several cheek tendrils around them.

They have several long blunt spikes coming out of their back, short arms with raised ridges on forearms and thighs, which are thicker when compared to the lower legs, which are bowed backwards, ending with elongated two toes with spherical tips, the heel is a large sphere. The arms has three bulbous fingers which all work in similar way as thumbs. Their tail is thick at the base, but thins to the tip, which is very nimble and serves for balancing of the body.

Biology

The signature trait of Lenai as a race is their strong magical affinity, which is present in every Lenai. The average magical strength of Lenai is four times higher than of average Huron DMU, and those who train its use are even more. Lenai space monks are then strongest magical users, who are rumored to be strong enough to singlehandedly take down a tank with their magic. It is unknown how exactly can Lenai be all gifted with magic in this extent, with speculations that they have unique organs in their back spikes and in their prolonged skulls, but no one had a chance to examine their bodies and confirm these claims.

Lenai dont has any eyes, thought still they can orient in the space pretty well. It was first thought that they used echolocation, but later it was found out that instead they used magic to "see" their surroundings, being able to even know about things which were happening behind them.

It was largely unknown how did Lenai reproduce, as they didnt had any testicles or any other reproductive organs (several scientists who were studying them could observe there was nothing between Lenai's legs). After few decades Lenai revealed their secrets, which surprised the whole galactic academia.

Lenai are unisexual, but they are neither only-males or only-females, they are an unique neutral gender. Their method of reproduction is far different than of most of the races in galaxy, but surprisingly similar to Zrillac. They have organ which can produce something similar as embryo, which will contain Lenai's genetic code. The "parent" releases the "embryo" through his mouth, and then starts shaping it with his magic. During this time, the Lenai must be intensely concentrating to be able to use the magic to manipulate even the DNA of his offspring. The time for this process varies from Lenai to Lenai, sometimes it can take only a day, sometimes it can take half a week.

When the process is complete, the embryo is put into a wet place and starts feeding on liquid which Lenai releases from their mouths that contains all necessary nutrients, which they produce partially from their food. The offspring is growing and feeding in this state, when they are covered by a small layer of malleable yet resistant organic "cocoon" for seven months, where they just lay and feed. When their time comes, the cocoon weakens and the offspring comes out. The kid is than partially sentient and on the level of Huron's 1 years old kid, and the parent can start to give it a normal meal, and ceases the production of the nutrient liquid.

History

During the long history of Lenai, which can be tracked to be twenty thousand years old, there were virtually no wars. This can be attributed to their rationalism, where they didnt see a reason to fight over resources or other disputes they may have had. They rather solved it by use of logic, which originates from the earliest days of their history.

Around 3000 PB the Lenai Combine of Solar Systems was formed by four planets they colonized, and Vuldak Empire first met them, Lenai controlled eight systems. The tensions between Empire and Combine are apparent, but Hurons dont dare to face someone so advanced and magically gifted as Lenai, and Lenai have no reason to declare war to Vuldak Empire, so the peace between the two factions remained stable, if uneasy from Vuldak side.

When the the Kasmari Rebellions started, Lenai remained neutral to this day, only observing it and making notes about it which will be put forward when the war ends to the COFS to identify the war crimes and people responsible for them.

Culture

Lenai are highly advanced race and society, which uses technology in their regular lives from daybreak to night. Most often they live in large mega-cities, with many skyscrapers and even gigantic hexagonal pyramids which houses smaller cities, being a "city in a city". Space docks and shipyards are also build in mega-cities, making there even the battleships, carriers and dreadnoughts, all capital ships which are most commonly laid down in spacedocks. The mega-cities can cover up thousands of square miles, the smaller cities are present (especially on recently colonized planets) in same numbers as mega-cities.

Contrary to this, Lenai are rather known by their monks, better known as "space monks". The religion is essential part of their culture, and monks are those who embraced the life of meditations and study of the magic. Space monks lives outside of large technological metropolises and instead builds their monasteries in isolated or desert places, often outside the Lenai space, and they use only the most important inventions like telecommunication. Otherwise they live very simple lives in peace and harmony.

Another signature feature which is associated with Lenai is their logic. Their society is strictly of rationalism. They are thinking about all the points about the subject, no matter what it is, and than decides by their logic which option is best. For this reason Lenai are mostly neutral in the galaxy as the galactic war rages around, because even if Vuldaks are targeting DMU, they are not their target simply because Vuldaks dont want to add another enemy, which is magically the strongest in galaxy. Thus Lenai, having no quarrel with Vuldak, dont sees a reason to join the fight on either side.

This attitude and philosophy have made them a mediators of Coalition of Free Sentients, which they also supports as Candir, offering their rational logic to evaluate the data they need to make their decisions about galactic peace.

Language

One of the interesting notes about Lenai is their language and expressing. When Lenai speaks in their native language, no one else who dont understands it wont notice, but Lenai are making pauses when speaking, too short for non-speaker to notice them, but this is more apparent when Lenai speaks in unified galactic language. The sentence structure of Lenai is that they are dividing the verb and associated part of the sentence to that verb, as well as the subjects of the sentences.

Becuase of their unisexual gender, they are referring to themselves by the neutral blood-related titles, such as parent, child or sibling. For the gender difference, they possess in their vocabulary terms for males and females cause of the other lifeforms on their homeworld which has two genders and after meeting other races in galaxy, but they are not using "sister", but instead "female sibling or relative". When space monks or two unrelated Lenai meets, they can address each other by a word which can be described as "neutral between brother and sister". Biologist Bern Cowan created specifically a word for Hurons as translation, which is "kemter".

Relgion

All Lenai believe in a single religion, which is referred to as "Way of Taminiadaa". They believe that magic is in fact a manifestation of power of "Taminiadaa", a deity that envelopes the galaxy, watching and protecting it. When Lenai discovers another atomic particle or element, they believe that it brings them closer to understanding Taminiadaa's will and secrets which he still keeps.

When new Lenai is born, it is believed that the kid have come from Taminiadaa, and when someone dies, that as his magical power disappears, it returns back to its rightful place where did it come from. There are Lenai philosophers who think that Taminiadaa is not just an entity, but at the same time a realm composed of the magic, a Huron analogue being heaven.

Lenai monks secludes themselves from the technological society to spend the time with meditations, increasing their control of magic (to honor the gift Taminiadaa have given them) and study the nature of Taminiadaa without the use of modern technologies and findings.

Interestingly Lenai are not feared of death and actually are expecting it, because they believe that if they are originating from Taminiadaa, they will return to it, and they will finally gain all the answers about it they always wanted.

Government

As being one of the galactic powers and oldest races, Lenai possess strong and stable government, composed of the specialists and most experienced experts who decides the major matters of Lenai Combine of Solar Systems. The Lenai Combine is very complex in organization, but the Lenai can easily see through it and understand it.

The administration of all star systems under its control is handed by Aggregate Management Department, which is responsible for administration of all economies, industries and other services of all planets from the lowest level. The AMD has complete control of individual planets, which are divided into states, those into provinces and those into individual cities and villages. Each unit is ruled by a a group of experts, varying in size depending on the unit, the cities and villages by municipal boards (5-9), provinces by council (11-17), states by cabinet (~20) and planets by senate (60-300).

The reports are going from the lowest level gradually to the main solar, which are than all processed and evaluated, and all is in clearly arranged format put forward to the highest governmental unit, the Prime Collegium. Composed of nine brightest and best specialist, each is specialized in a different field and as a whole decides the course of whole Combine.

The Lenai Combine of Solar Systems is not too large, having under its control only about a dozen of solar systems, with lower than two dozens planets, making it pretty small when compared to other galactic powers like Vuldak Empire.

Military

The magic is crucial part of the Lenai Combine military, making them a dreaded opponent in case of war. Each soldier is trained in the magic use, offensive, defensive and support, able to respond independently on most situations. Technologically is Lenai military also advanced, being on par with Candir. The military is volunteer, so only those who want to protect their closer ones becomes professional soldiers.

Lenai are adapt in most conventional tactics, choosing from wide range of doctrines depending on the situation at hand. Thought they are preferring to use small task forces as main combat units than larger military operations, sending in several squads in key locations to soften the enemy, and than in the right moment attack with shock troops, composed of another infantry squads and walkers.

Lenai maintain a sizable navy, which is right behind the Zrillac by its technological advancement, utilizing various cutting edge technologies like heat emission storage, which allows a passive stealth of even large capital ships as well as jammers and "void generator", effectively making it a "ghost fleet", able to hit enemies from unexpected angles. The preferred kind of weaponry are meson beams and meson projectors, which are violet in color and are highly damaging. The meson weapons are also used by the ground forces, also in forms of beams.

Trivia

The name of the race "Lenai" is anagram of "Alien", a reference to the Xenomorph race from Alien vs. Predator universe. Lenai are physically based on the Xenomorphs, as well as Pokemon Mewtwo.